Android 15 is out now – here are 5 new features it brings to Google Pixel phones

Say hello to Private Space, Theft Detection Lock, and more

News By Axel Metz published 16 October 2024

At long last, Android 15 is officially rolling out to compatible Google Pixel phones (i.e. the Google Pixel 6 and newer), meaning many of the features already teased in various Android 15 betas are now available in their finished form.

Strictly speaking, Android 15 launched through the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) on September 3, but this is the first time that the update has been made available to actual Android users (in this case, Google Pixel users), rather than just developers and manufacturers. Pixel devices are first in line, with Samsung phones and other Android devices set to benefit from Android 15 “in the coming months.”

Even more confusingly, the full release of Android 15 coincides with the rollout of a separate Google Pixel feature drop, which includes some Android 15-specific upgrades, as well as a handful of more general Pixel improvements.

In any case, below, we’ve rounded up five of the best Android 15 features, all of which will make their way to non-Pixel Android phones soon.

Private Space

If you’re keen to keep certain pieces of mobile content away from prying eyes, Android 15 introduces Private Space: a new password-protected area for storing your sensitive files, apps, and even notifications. In essence, the feature is similar to Samsung’s Secure Folder, though the latter can only store files, whereas Private Space can double as Fort Knox for many different types of content.

Incidentally, Private Space arrives on Pixel phones as part of Google’s aforementioned latest Pixel drop, though the feature is technically an Android 15 tool, meaning it’ll be coming to other Android phones soon.

Theft Detection Lock

We’ve been hearing about Google’s Theft Detection Lock feature since May, and it actually debuted in Brazil some time ago, but it’s now rolling out to Android users across the globe as part of Android 15.

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